David Moyes believes he has a squad good enough to win the UEFA Cup and qualify for next season's Champions League.
The Everton manager arrived in Scandinavia with a depleted party for tomorrow's UEFA Cup last-32 first-leg clash with Norwegian champions Brann Bergen but believing he is on the brink of major achievement in Europe.
Currently fourth in the Barclays Premier League, despite injuries and having players away at the African Nations Cup, the Champions League is in Everton's sights.
If they can overcome a difficult, but modest, Brann team over two legs - the second being at Goodison Park next Thursday - Moyes will be in touching distance of continental success.
He said: "We have the squad to win the UEFA Cup and qualify for the Champions League. I do not see it as a choice, nobody can pick the one they want.
"But our squad is good enough. We have coped recently with a lot of players missing and we are still in fourth spot in the league.
"We will be missing more for this game, but that is how it has been for the past few weeks. But we have coped.
"Injuries, suspensions and the African Nations Cup have stretched us.
"Now I hope we can cope with the remaining 12 Premier League games with all our players coming back, and another half dozen in the UEFA Cup. It is not beyond us."
Everton are without midfielder Mikel Arteta (groin) and colleague Steven Pienaar (ankle), while Thomas Gravesen was also not in the travelling party.
But top-scorer Ayegbeni Yakubu was on the plane to Norway.
Fined and dropped for the weekend win over Reading, the Nigerian has apologised for his late return from the African tournament and can expect to start against Brann.
Moyes said: "The Yakubu situation is finished. He is here and we have moved on, and we have a good squad with him here. But losing Mikel Arteta is a massive blow.
"He is a big player for our team and to lose him from such an important game is a major blow. You need your best players for this sort of game.
"But we have come through a difficult period without several key players and we are still there.
"We will need a clean sheet for the first-leg - if we can achieve that we have a great chance of getting into the next round."
Everton will have massive backing in the 17,000-capacity Brann stadium tomorrow, with today's flights to Norway packed with Toffees fans.
And Moyes believes his side can deliver for them.
He said: "After the season we have had in the Premier League, the key now is to stay in the UEFA Cup.
"We need to kick on, we have won all our group matches and now we have two legs against Brann, so we must concentrate fully to get into the last 16.
"I don't read too much into the fact that they have not played a league game since November. The hardest thing for us was to make sure we had them watched.
"They have been in La Manga for a few weeks, they have played two games out in Spain and we have had those matches watched.
"We have seen DVDs of their previous UEFA Cup matches, and we have done all we can to make sure we find out about a team who are out of season.
"Does their lack of competitive matches have any effect? I don't know, even if it did worry me it is hard to judge how they will be, so we must concentrate on ourselves and we are really in top fitness and good form."
Moyes insists there is no reason for Everton to be timid in their quest for European glory.
"We have beaten Zenit St Petersburg, who have won the Russian league and now face the Norwegian champions who will be in the Champions League themselves next season," he continued.
"It is a good yardstick - we want to be in the Champions League with both those clubs and we can judge ourselves and our capabilities when we have completed this tie.
"We have done well, we have progressed in Europe. Brann have topped their league ahead of Rosenborg, who gave Chelsea a run for their money in this season's tournament. So we know the sort of standard we are stepping up into. Scandinavian clubs cannot be taken lightly.
"Norwegian football is similar to ours, and their players have come into the Premier League and done well. So we know what we are facing, we are familiar with the physical aspect of their game.
"They are very suited to our game and Brann play in a very British style. We must cope with that, but it doesn't make it any easier."
